Acidalia VI
By Amanda D

Thursday, June 14 morning:

Sam Grayson stood at the back of the graveside crowd, listening somberly to the minister drone on about life, death, heaven and Laura’s sure place in it. As the sun shown brightly and the birds sang to the clear blue sky above, it seemed to Sam, absurd that the world should keep on going about its business on a day like this. A cold shiver ran down her spine as the real meaning of the word mortality revealed it’s self to her in the beauty of this sad day.

Her presence at Laura’s funeral, in itself was a miracle of sorts. She still wasn’t completely sure how Mia managed to pull it off, but she was glad she had. This was her first time out of the isolation chamber in weeks, and she was doing her best not to enjoy it. Today was not the day for such things.

Laura was dead, and Sam felt more than just a little responsible for it. Tears of grief streamed down her face as she gazed at the casket containing her best friend’s body.

****
From the hill overlooking the funeral proceedings, a group of Delta Force security kept watch. Two snipers lay prone in the grass sweeping the crowd through the scopes of their rifles. Spying a mourner that was not on the list of scheduled attendees, one of the snipers called out for his commanding officer. After looking through as set of binoculars the unit commander spotted the uninvited guest and called down to the command van. The sound of a radio crackling to life broke the relative silence of the scene.

“Sir, we’ve got something of a problem here.”

“What is it?” Tyler asked.

“Sir one of our spotters just identified Dr. Grayson in the crowd.”

“Shit! Where is she?”

“Towards the back sir. She’s standing next to Dr. Blue. Should we have her removed?”

Turning to look at the rack of monitors on the vans interior wall Lt Colonel Tyler found the area indicated and zoomed the camera area in. ‘Shit! What the hell is she doing here?’ he thought to himself. To the Delta commander he said “Stand by. Let me call the Colonel.” Tyler put down the radio and picked up the control truck’s landline.

A few minutes and several hundred choice words from Jordon later, Tyler called the watch post back. “The Colonel says to leave them be for now and just keep an eye on them. He said he’ll deal with the two of them when they get back to Grayson. In the meantime I want one of your men watching her every second. We don’t know if there is anyone else watching this so I want her protected.”

“Yes Sir. I’ll get one of my men as close to her as I can without giving our presence away.”

“Make sure nothing happens to her Sergeant or it’ll be your ass. Understand?”

“Loud and clear Sir.”

********

The service wrapped up shortly after 10:30. A few at a time, the mourners began to drift back to their cars, consoling each other as they walked. Sam watched awkwardly as Laura’s mother passed by leaning heavily on her son and husband for support. Sam so badly wanted to say something, anything in the way of an apology to the family, but found her voice so choked with guilt no sound could come out when she opened her mouth to speak.

“Come on, Sam,” Mia told her. “We need to get out of hear before you’re spotted.”

“I … I know.” The young woman stared morosely at the hole the coffin had descended into. Despite her acknowledgement, Sam found herself unable to move from the spot on which she stood. For several more minutes the two women waited as the last of the mourners disbursed. Finally, Mia managed to drag Sam away from the depressing scene. In complete silence they walked slowly arm in arm through the heat of the late spring day towards the car.

Once they were on their way back to Grayson, Sam broke the silence. “Mia, I … I just wanted to tell you how much being there meant to me. I appreciate you pulling strings to make it possible.”

“It was my pleasure.”

“I’m just afraid that you’re going to be in trouble with Jordon when we get back to the facility.”

“Sam, don’t worry about it. Jordon will be pissed true. He’ll probably scream himself blue at me, but he can’t do much more than that. I’m a civilian, and the head of the CDC out here. He’s not my superior, no matter what he may believe.”

“Be that as it may … I … I can’t go back there. I can’t go back into the isolation lab again. I’m sorry Mia, but it … I … just can’t do it,” the new girl cried.

Her voice concerned, Mia told her, “I understand how you feel Sam. I really do, but you have to go back. Never mind the fact that we have no idea how long the virus will remain dormant in your system, but what about Sara? Who will be able to take care of her if your not there? I’ll tell you who, no one. No one will be able to, and she’ll have to be sent to quarantine. Is that what you want?”

“No,” Sam responded glumly.

“I didn’t think it was. What I ‘can’ do for you however is continue testing you for contagion and if you continue to be negative, I’ll go to Jordon myself and demand your release. But that’s all I can promise.”

“Thank … thank you Mia. I don’t know what I would have done these last few of days without you.”

Mia smiled, placing her hand on Sam’s. “I’ve really become quite fond of you since we started working together. You’ve become something of a … daughter to me, Sam.” Her smile grew even bigger as Sam grimaced at the word daughter. “What’s with the face?”

Looking slightly embarrassed Sam replied “I still can’t get used to people referring to me in the feminine form. Even after all this time, it’s still strange to me. That, and the fact that I’m probably the same age as you are, if not a couple years older, so your calling me daughter, sounds especially odd to me.”

“Well despite our best efforts, no cure seems to be in the immediate future so I suggest you get over it and get used to the idea of being an attractive young woman.”

“I suppose you’re right, but right now I’ve got a few other things on my mind” She said. looking sullen.

“Sam, what happened to Laura wasn’t your fault.”

“Wasn’t it? If I hadn’t been so intent on getting out of that damn chair … if I had just been content with the hand fate dealt me … none of this … any of it, would have happened. Laura would still be alive. The virus never would have been released. Poor Carla wouldn’t be facing trial for causing all this, which we both know was purely accidental on her part. So don’t tell me I’m not to blame! I know what sins I’ve committed, and fully expect to pay handsomely for them somewhere down the line.”

Mia, despite her best efforts to come up with a way to comfort Sam, found herself unable to argue with the new girls point. Though Mia had begun come to see the epidemic as the will of fate, she just couldn’t fool herself into believing Sam guiltless. For the rest of the ride back to Grayson, neither woman spoke. Both were lost inside themselves, Mia trying to reclaim some objectivity, and Sam trying to come to terms with what had occurred.

As the car approached the entrance to the lab Mia grabbed Sam’s hand and squeezed it gently. “Hey, smile for me. Everything will be fine, trust me.”

Sam gave her a wan smile. “Well, I guess that will have to do,” Mia said teasingly. “Looks like we’ve arrived, you ready?”

“I suppose.” Sam replied as they pulled up the guarded gate.

Mia rolled down her window as the guard approached. Before she could say a word the tall dark skinned, steely eyed Delta operative said “Dr. Blue, Dr. Grayson. … Dr. Blue, I have orders to take you directly to Colonel Jordon’s office. Dr. Grayson, ma’am if you would step out of the vehicle, there is a guard waiting to take you back to the isolation lab.”

Mia put on her most professional face and replied “I’ll drive her to the lab myself. You can call the Colonel and tell him that I’ll be there shortly.”

“I’m sorry ma’am, but my orders are specifically to escort you there myself, while the others take Dr. Grayson to her lab.” the solder insisted.

Mia opened her mouth to argue some more but Sam interjected before she could get a word out. “Mia, it’s ok. It’s not worth arguing about. He has his orders and will get in trouble if he doesn’t follow them. I’ll just go back to the lab, while you go see Jordon. When you’re done come down and see me, OK?”

“Are you sure, Sam?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine.”

“Ok, then I’ll se you in a while.” Mia said as Sam got out of the car. She watched closely as the viral suit encased guards escorted Sam towards a sealed truck and drove off. Once it was out of sight, Mia put the car in gear and followed the soldier’s Humvee to the office complex.

**************

Entering Jordon’s office, Mia was met with a look of fury that made her hope her theory was right about him not being able to do anything to her. Standing up, the Colonel shouted, “Just what the fuck do you think you were doing pulling Grayson out of the isolation lab? Did it ever occur to you that she could contaminate everyone there?”

Trying not to look intimidated, Mia replied “I’ve been testing Sam for the last two days and everyone has come up negative.. In my opinion the risk of contamination was negligible.”

“Negligible? Who are you to make decisions like that with every single male in this complex’s life? Never mind everyone at the service! I don’t understand how you could be so irresponsible!” Jordon yelled, red-faced with anger. Taking a deep breath, he continued with the tirade, “I know you’ve become close to the girl, and I know how devastated she was after hearing about Dr. Wayne’s death, but I think that very closeness has seriously clouded your judgment. I’ve contacted Washington about having you replaced.”

“You what?” Mia shouted back. “How dare you accuse me of clouded judgment? I did what I thought was right for Sam …”

“Yes, that’s exactly my point, Doctor. You did what you thought was right for Sam, not what you felt was right for everyone else too. We can’t think individually when it comes to this anymore; we need to think globally, now. One person’s desires or rights are inconsequential in the grand scheme of our mission. We need to contain this virus and eventually stamp it out before it gets completely out of control. So far, we’ve all done a pretty piss poor job of doing that, but we can’t undermine what little progress we’ve made by knowingly letting infectious victims out into the general population, no matter how much we may care for them as individuals. Do you understand now doctor?”

With a look of admonishment on her face Mia replied “I do understand you, Colonel. I understand all of this a lot better than you think. However …”

“No! There is no however in this. For you, there are only two choices. Either you get onboard and make sure something like this never happens again or you leave and go back to your office in Washington. I can’t have anyone undermining me here, so make your choice right now!”

“I … I’d like to stay.” Mia said quietly.

“Very well, I’ll rescind my request for you to be replaced, but be warned … we will not have this conversation again.”

“Yes Colonel, I understand.”

“Good. Now Dr. Ryan was telling me about the newest version of the blood test your group has been working on, any updates?”

“Not at this time. It looks promising, but until we get into some clinical testing we won’t know for sure.”

“When will the testing begin?”

“We’re hoping to start testing it in two weeks, after we finish lab testing. In the meantime we still have a perfectly good test out there. This one here, if successful, will just help cover the single deficiency we’ve found in the older one.”

“What deficiency would that be?”

“Since the testing began, we’ve come to see the test has a bit of a blind spot on blood type A/B negative. It’s the rarest type, so the blind spot isn’t the end of the world, but when you’re testing everyone in the country, the number of people that need the long version becomes very cumbersome. This one should work on all blood types. At least we believe it will.”

“Very good. Keep me updated.”

************

City Hospital Director Batson’s office late afternoon:

“Bill? There’s a Major Brady and some people from the FBI here to see you.” the intercom squawked.

Batson unconsciously rolled his eyes at the announcement. ‘Like I don’t have enough going on.’ he thought with distain. Taking a deep breath, and letting it out in a loud sigh of resignation Bill replied “Well then, I suppose you better send them in.”

A few seconds later Brady and two FBI agents entered like they owned the place. Before Batson could say a word the short brown haired FBI agent said “I’m Agent Tomkins, this is Agent Davis,” he pointed to the tall blonde man next to him “and you know Major Brady.”

“Yes, I know who and what the Major is. Please have a seat and tell me what I can do for you gentlemen today.” Batson said irritatedly, as he gestured towards the chairs in front of his desk.

“Director, let’s cut to the chase,” Tomkins ignored Batson’s offer of a seat “Last night. we found one of the missing busses down in San Jose, along with a lot of trash. We discovered the reason as to why they were going to Dillon in the first place.”

“Ok.” Batson replied not liking the look on the agent’s faces

“We found an order signed by you for the reassignment of the infectees to Dillon, and a separate one authorizing Dr. Wayne to be added to the bus’ roster. Can you explain either of these?”

“Do you have the orders with you? May I see them?” Batson tried not to sound nervous. Davis pulled two sheets of paper out of the file folder he had tucked under his arm and handed them to Batson. Bill took the papers and started reading through them.

After a couple minutes Tomkins impatiently asked, “Well director?”

“I … I never signed either of these. I’ve never even seen them before today.”

“Is that your signature on the bottom?”

Batson stared at the way the name was written. He carefully checked the way each letter was formed for any inconsistencies from the way he wrote it and could find none. Finally he looked back up at the gaggle of federal employees and told them, “I didn’t sign this.”

“Director we did a handwriting comparison before we came here. We know that’s your hand writing.”

“But I didn’t sign this. I swear,” Batson tried to sound confident.

“Director,” Brady said “if this wasn’t sign by you who else would it be?”

Batson opened his mouth to answer, but no sound came out. He looked back down at the papers again, and a feeling of hopelessness began to creep over him. Looking back up he simply said, “I want to call my lawyer.”

“I’m sure you do, but this is a matter of national security. We’ve been ordered to bring you to our headquarters in San Francisco. Once we’re there, a lawyer will be provided for you.” Davis walked over and began to place hand cuff on Batson’s wrists.

“I have my own lawyer and would prefer that he was the one that represented me.” Director Batson insisted.

Stepping in close Brady whispered “Just do as you’re told. It’ll go badly for you if you don’t, you know. Lots of people have been disappearing from the bug you know. Be a shame if you were one of them.”

The two men stared at each other for several seconds as Batson took measure of Brady’s words. Though he had never met the man before today, Batson knew Brady’s reputation and found himself unwilling to see if it was well deserved. Deciding in his heart that Brady was absolutely serious, Batson relented.

At the first sign of his resignation, Tomkins finished fastening the handcuff into place. A few moments later the quartet walked out of the office with Brady bringing up the rear.

Entering the outer office Rhoda Grace, Batson’s secretary yelped at the sight of her boss being led away like a prisoner. “Dir … Bill? What’s going on?” she asked as she came around her desk.

Moving to intercept the older grey haired woman, Davis told her, “Ma’am just stay back. He’s coming with us. No need for you to be involved.”

“But …”

“Ma’am I said step back ” Davis repeated as he put his hand on her shoulder prepared to shove Rhoda to the side.”

“It’s OK, Rhoda,” Batson said. “Just call Linda Hall and tell her what’s happened.”

“I told you to keep your fucking mouth shut!” Brady exclaimed as he gave Batson a whack on the back of the older mans head.

“Oh, my!” Rhoda squealed.

“Shut the fuck up, bitch, or you’ll be coming along too,” Brady hollered, sticking a finger right in Rhoda’s face. The grey haired woman looked indignantly at the finger and began to respond, but was interrupted by the hospital director.

“Rhoda, it’s OK.” Batson told her, trying to defuse the situation. To his captors, “Come on, let’s just go. There’s no need to involve her.”

Brady glared at Batson, then gave the elderly secretary one last menacing look before walking away. As the group waited for the elevator, Brady pulled Batson close and whispered, “You really fucked up with that one. Not a smart move there, Billy boy. Not smart at all.”

Before Batson could reply, the doors opened and he was pulled inside by his escort. As the elevator began it’s decent, Batson stared wode-eyed at the major, mouth agape, fearing for his life. Once they reached the ground floor and the doors began to slide open, Brady told Tomkins “I need to make contact with Jordon, so I’ll meet you in San Francisco a bit later.”

“Not a problem, Major. I’m sure Dr. Batson here will be willing to cooperate. Won’t you Doc?”

“Well if he doesn’t, just have him sent over to San Quentin, and I’ll see that he tells us everything you need to know.” Brady smiled, while Batson strained to keep from trembling.

************
Santa Cruz The home of Hillary Marko Early evening:

Hillary Marko looked in the mirror at her flushed, drawn face and found herself unable to deny the obvious any longer, she was sick. Not just sick, very sick, Acidalia sick. She knew she had the bug and the thought of it scared the hell out of her.

The bug wasn’t supposed to affect women, but she had watched Chet go though his change, and knew the symptom’s progression by broken heart. Fever, nausea, pain in the joints, which slowly progressed to a dull ache throughout the entire body, were just the beginning.

A knock on the door interrupted her introspection. “Yes?” she said, replying to the sound.

“Hillary?” she heard Yvonne’s voice ask.

Putting down the face cloth she was holding, she turned and walked over to the bathroom door. Opening it, she impatiently asked, “What’s up?”

“Simone asked me to come get you. They’re getting ready to go over the plan for tomorrow.”

“Ok. Tell them I’ll be right there.” she told her. As Yvonne turned away, Hillary felt a sudden nausea come over her. She turned quickly, got down in front of the toilet and began to retch. When it was over, she felt a bit better. Getting up slowly, she steadied herself with one hand on the sink for support. After a bit, the spinning in her head slowed enough for her to exit and head unsteadily down to the basement for the briefing.

“We will be looking to get the devices as close as possible to these points, …” she heard Ron Maxwell, the stout, balding, former member of the San Diego police bomb squad explaining as he pointed to a set of building blue prints covering the green ping pong table at the center of the group. “If we can get them within three feet of these pylons the entire building should come straight down onto its foundation. That way we can minimize property damage to the surrounding building and hopefully minimize the risks to any innocent bystanders. We need to be careful of theses pipes here,” Max told them pointing at the blue print to show everyone what he meant. “They’re the gas feeds for the heating system. Put one of the bomb packs too close, and the whole block will go up”

“What’s our time table look like?” Hillary asked, announcing her presence to the assemblage.

“We should be able to just walk in after it opens at nine tomorrow morning. With a little luck, and if we move quickly enough, we’ll have the place under control before anyone has a chance to call the cops, so timing and coordination are essential.”

“Everyone know their assignments?” Each member of the group agreed that they were ready, but the look in their eyes made Hillary doubt them. “Are you sure?” she asked, making eye contact with each on of them.

Though each one nodded their heads again, she still didn’t believe them. They all looked overconfident, almost cocky in her estimation. “Look!” she said in exasperation. “Just because everything went off with out a hitch the last time, doesn’t mean that it will go smoothly this time too. No one was even aware we existed the last time, but they know now, and the police will be looking out for signs of trouble, so we need to be even more focused this time than the last. Now does everyone know their assignments?” The affirmative was given for the third time.” OK then, good luck tomorrow,” She told them, still not totally convinced.

As everyone disbursed, Max hung behind with Hillary at her request. Once everyone else was gone, she asked “What do you think? Are they really ready?”

“We better hope so,” the middle aged man replied. “How are you doing, is the bigger question? I heard you hacking away last night and you look flushed.”

“I’m … I’ll be ok for tomorrow,” she said as she walked away.

Worriedly under his breath he repeated his words, “We better hope so.”

Hearing him mutter, Hillary turned back to face him. “I’m sorry, did you have something else to add?” she asked irritatedly.

“I was just wondering if you had looked in on Sandra today.”

“I was going to do that on my way back to my room. Have you?”

“I saw her early this morning. She didn’t look very good,” he said simply, as his eyes flashed angrily.

noting the look, Hillary put her hands on her hips defensively, and impatiently ordered, “Spit it out, Max!”

“Fine! She’s got the bug just like you do! So now because of your impatience, you’ve put us all in danger of becoming infected. What the hell were you thinking, executing her like that? You knew she was infected …”

“That’s bull shit, and you know it Max! You didn’t believe that report anymore than I did! So don’t give me that shit!”

“Hillary! You killed all five of them on the side of the road, for Christ sakes. That wasn’t the fucken plan, and you know it!”

“They took my husband away from me!” Hillary shrieked. “Didn’t even give me a chance to say goodbye! Just took him! And that BITCH was the root of the problem! Once I had her … I … I couldn’t let her live after what she had done to me! And the other four? They were guilty by association! They were delivering another load to the quarantine! They deserved to die along with her!”

“I know they took Chet. He was my best friend, remember? That’s why agreed to help you try to get him back. But I didn’t sign on for summary executions! How are we going to free him now, with nothing to negotiate with? Tell me how this helps him in anyway. After you explain that, I want to know how bombing a testing center helps him?”

“Max, they wouldn’t have freed him if we had that pig Fuller himself. Don’t you understand that? All we can do now is punish those responsible. And by God, I intend to do just that at every opportunity. The testing center is where the problem starts. The people employed there are responsible for beginning the entire process. We blow one up, and two things happen. The testers become afraid to show up for work, and those being tested stay away for the same reason.”

“I hope your right, because the government’s already after us. After tomorrow, depending on what spin the administrations press people put on it, the whole country might be looking for us.”

“And?” she shouted angrily “Should we just pack up and forget the whole thing just because Fuller and his people are going to spin it to make us look like the worst thing since the 9/11 terrorists? Is this a fucking publicity stunt? No, it’s to send a message to those in charge, that we will not sit idly by and let our loved ones be taken without putting up a fight!”

Max looked at his friend and felt anger building inside of him. Not anger with her, but those that caused this once caring, loving woman to become so hate filled and consumed with rage. As his own outrage at those who had caused Hillary to become what stood before him grew, he knew that no matter what, he would be with her to the bitter end. “Ok you win. I just want to make sure we keep those not involved from getting hurt in the process.”

“Agreed.” Hillary said started walking up the stairs.

******************

Dr Paula Stanly looked over the results from the first round of tests she and her team had conducted on the so-called enhanced. Most of the test returns pleased her greatly; however the fact that there had been two individuals misidentified during the screening process disturbed the doctor. Despite what she was doing and going to continue do to these new women, she didn’t like the idea of killing any of them outright, especially during the very first round of tests. It seemed to her a waste of resources, since she was sure there would be a need for quite a few comparative tests to be performed in the future.

Bringing another program on the computer she disgustedly deleted the names Renee Dobra, and Natalie Carson from the list of test subjects. Having to explain their sudden disappearances from the quarantine wasn’t going to be an issue. Brady would never care what happened to them, as long as they didn’t escape. Still, it bothered the hell her that her staff could have been so sloppy in their research. The experiments were not going to yield reliable results if the subjects weren’t truly enhanced.

With the deletions complete, she turned back to the original list and began encoding the initial test scores. Stanley figured if everything was written in code, no one would ever be able to find out what they had been doing. To her, it was paramount, that the truth of how the experiments were conducted, never comes out. It would destroy her reputation if they did.

As Paula entered the data, she marveled at the results of the ones that survived. They were truly impressive, most notably the Logan girl. Her speed and stamina were way off the charts. The most incredible thing was her ability to heal, though. She had been cut deeply along her right forearm two days ago, and the wound was already knitting itself up, without the aid of stitches or staples. Paula theorized that it would be nothing more than a thin scar within the next week.

‘Simply amazing’ she thought to herself as she continued to type.

**************

Logan’s Cell:

“I don’t know,, she doesn’t look very good,” Mona told Jo looking over Thomas’ latest round of injuries, as the new girl lay on her bunk.

“How can they get away with doing this to her? And where’s Renee? How come she didn’t come back?”

“Cause she’s dead.” Thomas hissed though the pain as she tried unsuccessfully to get up.

“Thomas? We though you were still out cold. What do you mean, she’s dead?” Mona asked with great concern.

“The doctors thought she could heal fast like me, so they opened up the vein in her wrist, but … they … were wrong,” Thomas wept. The others looked at her in stunned silence for a moment.

“Are… are you sure, she’s … dead? I mean is there any chance they lied to you and she still might be alive?” Jo asked as tears began to roll down her cheeks.

“No … no chance. She was in the room with me when it happened. Those assholes didn’t… they just… they didn’t even try to save her. They just let her bleed to death.” Thomas tried to choke back her emotions. Brady had told her during their introductory session together yesterday, that he had been watching everything she did in the cell and she was now determined not to let the son of a bitch see her cry. Now that she had met the man, Thomas understood that any show of weakness on her part would only provoke the bastard to do something worse than the simple torture he had already put her through.

“Hel … help me up will you?” Thomas asked when she felt she was in control. Jo and Mona leaned down into the bunk and gently helped her to a sitting position. Thomas grimaced in pain several time as she slowly moved into a sitting position but managed not to cry out. Once up, she pulled her cellmates close. The three new women hugged fiercely for several minutes in mourning of their lost friend.

After the moment passed, Thomas hung onto Mona and Jo and whispered “I need to tell you two something. Yesterday, while they were doing their testing on us, I was separated from the others and taken to another room. They left me alone in there, stripped naked, for quite a while before a man came in wearing a bio suit. He introduced himself as Brady and claimed to be in charge of this place. He told me he’s been watching us in this cell. Thinks I’m disrespecting him somehow, by refusing to use a female name. Told me he was going to beat some femininity into me. Did a pretty fair job of it, too.”

“Oh God, Thomas …”

“Shhh. Don’t say anything. The reason I’m telling you this, is that you two need to stay away from me. I don’t know it for a fact, but I think Renee was taken just because she was a friend of mine. The two of you need to stay as far away from me as possible, and take care of Paka, too. I can’t do it anymore without putting your lives in danger, too.”

Paka, the only word the mysterious man, turned dark haired, almond shaped brown eyed girl had uttered to this point. It happened a week ago, as her transformation induced delirium was fading away. The three of them had no idea if it was a name or not, but they had decided to use it as one, just to have something to call her. The thought of anymore trauma being brought upon the poor girl was almost enough to get Thomas crying again.

“But … How … how can he get away with this?” Jo asked, her voice filled with confusion and sorrow.

“We don’t really exist anymore. That’s how.” Mona said somberly. “And as far as staying away from you goes, I’d rather die standing beside you, than watch you suffer from across the room and live.”

“Mo …” Thomas began to protest, when Karen and her crew came over to her bunk.

“Well well. What do we have here? You’re looking pretty peaked there, Tommy. Had a rough day, did we?” Karen asked menacingly.

Jo hopped to her feet and got right into Karen’s face, yelling “Oh, aren’t you the tough one, coming over when she’s been through the wringer!”

“You better back the fuck off, before I kick your ass again. My gripe’s with your friend here, but once I’m done with her, I’ll gladly finish what we started the last time,” Karen said shoving Jo aside.

“Now where …” Karen began to say, when Jo jumped on her back. The small woman hung on with one arm while punching the trouble maker as best she could with the other. Trying to use her girth to her best advantage, Jo pulled back on Karen’s collar, trying to drag her backwards to the floor. Between the punches and the shorter girl’s weight, Karen began to teeter back until Mary, the tall red head with short spiky hair, ripped Jo from her back.

The sudden freedom from Jo’s grasp sent Karen stumbling away from the fracas momentarily. Thomas pulled herself to her feet and tried to block Karen’s return as Mona attempted to get the four other girls that had piled on top of Jo, off of her. Karen smiled, as she saw Thomas’ unsteady form standing in her way. “You sure you’re up to this?” she asked sarcastically.

Thomas, with barely the energy to stand, just looked at her opponent grimly. Karen lunged forward at Thomas, who just barely managed to sidestep her attacker. As Karen passed by, Thomas attempted to shove her attacker from behind. Unfortunately, her weakened state caused her to mis-time the move, sending her sprawling.

As the two of them landed against the nearest bunk, Thomas lost her footing and fell to her knees. Karen, seeing this, turned and landed a vicious kick right in her opponent’s stomach. Thomas doubled over and collapsed to the floor, her breath driven from her. Karen, without any mercy, kicked Thomas in the face. Thomas fell backwards from the force of the blow. Once she was down, Karen again kicked her in the ribs and stomach several more times, howling like an animal.

Finally, a combination of fatigue and Thomas’ total lack of resistance caused her to stop. Karen looked down at her defeated adversary and spit on her prone form. “This cell belongs to me now!” she shrieked, kicking Thomas one last time for emphasis.

Turning back to the others, she saw Jo being held down on the floor by two of her cohorts while Mona lay on a bunk curled into a ball, coughing and gagging. Karen walked over to Jo’s prone form and spit on her, too. “Like to start trouble, huh? Get in my face will you?” she hollered as she kicked at Jo’s exposed form. “Well this is the last time that’s ever going to happen!” To her compatriots, she said “Hold her there for a minute. I got something for her over by my bunk.”

Reaching under the thin mattress Karen pulled out a nasty looking shiny metal hook. It appeared as if it had been made from a piece of the spring-like underside of her bunk. The hook sported a vicious looking point on the end of it. She showed of the weapon to the assemblage as she walked back over to where Jo was being held down. With a wide grin on her face she said in a menacing voice “Jump on my back, will you? Want to fuck with me? I’d say this was going to fuck you up, but you’re already ugly as sin anyhow. So maybe it will be an improvement.”

“NOOO!” Thomas screamed, trying to pull herself off the floor

“Fucken cunt, don’t know when to stay down.” To two of her followers that were just standing there watching, Karen said “Grab her, and make sure she gets a good view of this.”

The two women went over to Thomas as she struggled to her knees. Thomas swung her arms as hard as she could, causing both to take a step back. Seeing the women retreat from the injured girl, Karen yelled “Jesus Christ, she’s half out on her feet! Grab her!”

The two moved in again. This time, Thomas lunged forward and caught one in the midsection with the top of her head. As she bent over in pain, the second circled behind and kicked Thomas in the kidney. Pain, as well as the force of the blow caused Thomas to fall forward and several women jumped on her, kicking and punching at her as they piled on. Thomas fought back as best she could but was quickly subdued and forced into a sitting position by her original attackers.

Karen, satisfied that Thomas wouldn’t miss a moment of the action, and still wouldn’t be able to interfere, turned back to Jo. The portly girl struggled mightily with her captors attempting to escape. Karen held up the hook so Jo could get a good look at it. The captive girl redoubled her efforts to escape but was unable to. With a smile filled with dark glee Karen knelt down and began to cut.

Jo’s screams rang throughout the cell as Karen dug the hook deep into the fat girl’s face and chest. Thomas on the floor and Mona on the bunk, struggled to free themselves to no avail. The women holding them forced both to watch what was being done to their friend.

When it was over, Karen stood and showed Thomas the blood soaked hook. “Next time, it’ll be you.” Karen gave another quick kick to Thomas’ face.

From his office computer, Brady watched the entire scene unfold with tremendous satisfaction. He watched Logan fall over and smack her head against one of the bunks with the final kick from the other one, with a smile on his face. He made a mental note to meet with the one called Karen, and see if there was anyway he could help solidify her position in the cell. She really seemed like his kind of gal.

Using a joystick control, he panned the camera over to where the fat one lay. She was a bloody, cut up mess. Using the zoom control Brady got the camera in as close as it would go. For several minutes he watched her twitch and bleed, enjoying the thought of how much pain her dying would cause Logan.

He watched until the skinny one with the long dark hair went over and started checking the fat one for signs of life. Realizing she must have found something to give her hope, he watched her run to the medical call button and pound on it several times. He smiled brightly at the look of frustration on her face when no reply came.

********************

Friday June 14 11:30 Am Santa Cruz:

Alexis Summers bolted into Hillary Marco’s house, looking like she had run the entire way back from San Jose. “Hillary! Sandra!” she hollered. “Come on, we need to get out of here right now. The cops could be on their way here! Hillary! Sandra!” The lack of response from either woman was unsettling to the young blonde.

Alexis hurried down the short hallway that led to Hillary’s room. The entire house was eerily quiet. Pushing her way though the door, Alexis almost gagged over the smell of sickness that permeated the dimly lit room. Hillary lay on the bed, moaning in fever induced delirium. ‘Fuck!’ Alexis thought, as she moved closer to the bed, flipping the light on.

The smell was almost overwhelming this close to the infected woman. Alexis put her hand out to Hillary’s shoulder and pulled it back with a hiss. The terrorist leader was burning up. Not only that, but she looked different, some how. Alexis bent down for a closer look, marveling at the amount of heat Hillary’s body was throwing off. She gasped in horror as the truth of what was happening to her friend was revealed in the lamp light.

Hillary’s once smooth soft looking face had changed significantly. It now had an almost square jawed look to it. Pulling the blanket back, Alexis observed several other changes in her leaders’ physical form, broader shoulders, and a flatter chest were chief among them.

A scraping sound from the hallway behind her caused Alexis to nearly jump out of her skin with fright. Bolting up right she turned to see Sandra standing unsteadily in the door way. “Oh, Sandy, you scared the hell out of me.”

“What are you doing in here? Where are the others?” Sandra asked her older sister.

“The oth … Oh shit! I was so caught up in what’s happened to Hil, I completely blanked out why I’m here. Grab your shit, Sis and help me get Hil. We need to get the hell out of here, and I mean now!”

“Why, what happened? Tell me!” Sandra demanded weakly.

“Something … I dunno what exactly, but something went wrong with operation. One of the bombs must have gone off too early or something. But the building blew up while everyone was still inside.” Alexis said in a voice choked with a combination of panic and sorrow.

“I … is … are they all? …”

“Dead? I don’t know for sure, but I can’t see how any of them could have survived the explosion. There wasn’t much left of the building, almost completely destroyed.”

“Oh God!” Sandra cried. Alexis grabbed her sister in a fierce hug as the two of them took a moment to mourn their friends.

“OK! Come on, we need to get Hillary and get out of here,” Alexis said, breaking away from the embrace.

“Leave her.” Sandra said flatly.

“Sandy! We can’t leave her like that.”

“Then shoot her, because from the looks of things, if we move her, she’ll die anyway.”

“I … I can’t shoot her,” Alexis said, distressed.

“I know what you mean, Sis. I’ve been sitting in my room for the last hour or so trying to work up the nerve to do it.”

“B …but …”

“Look, either one of us does it, or we need to leave her and get to San Francisco,” Sandra said with out emotion.

“Sandra! How…” Alexis’ though was cut off by the sound of a car door slamming closed in the driveway.

“Shhhh! There’s someone here.” Alexis headed back into the bedroom to look out the window. Before she could get there, the front door opened and the two sisters heard the sound of Yvonne’s and Gail’s voices calling out.

“We’re back here with Hillary,” Sandra replied.

The second set of women hurried down the hall, appearing in the doorway seconds later. Both women were a mass of small cuts and abrasions.

“Sandra, thank god, is Hillary … Alexis? What are you doing here?”

“She just got here a few minutes ago and was telling me about what happened.” Sandra said.

Without warning, Gail lunged at Alexis, screaming, “You bitch Grabbing the blonde and slamming her against the nearest wall, Gail continued furiously “You ran out on us? Left us there to be caught? How could you do that?”

“I … I tho… thought you were all dead.” Alexis stuttered. “I… I’m sor…”

“Sorry? You’re fucken sorry? Simone, Rick and Max are dead. They caught Andrea, and all you can say is, ‘I’m sorry?’ I outta …”

“Gail!” Yvonne screamed. “Let her go and cut the shit! It isn’t her fault that Rick fucked up and set his bomb off too soon. Christ, she was outside. How was she supposed to know if anyone made it or not?” Looking frustrated, Gail released her grip on Alexis and punched the wall.

“How did you two make it out?” Sandra asked.

“We were standing by the entrance, keeping a look out when Rick’s device went off. The shock wave blew us out the door before the rest of the bombs went off. We landed on the sidewalk, along with about two tons of glass. By the time we managed to pull ourselves up, we could hear sirens coming our way, so we ran into the crowd that had gathered across the street. We stood there and watched as the cops and fire department pulled up and started sifting through the debris. They pulled Max and Andrea out first. Max, they covered with a sheet, and Andrea was thrown into a cop car and driven off.” Yvonne told the sisters.

“Oh my God!” Alexis began to sob.

“Andrea will talk eventually,” Gail said flatly. “It won’t be her fault, but they have too much riding on this to play nice. We’re going to need to get out of here. Is she capable of being moved?” she asked, pointing at Hillary.

“I don’t think so,” Sandra replied.

Gail let out a frustrated sigh and stepped over to the bed. Kneeling down she asked, “Hil, can you hear me Sweetie?” Hillary’s eyes rolled as she murmured deliriously, “Shit!”

“We were just trying to figure out what to do when you two came in,” Alexis told her.

“Sandra, how are you feeling? Can you travel?” Yvonne asked.

“I’m doing OK. A lot better than Hil, anyhow,” Sandra replied sadly.

“The three of you get whatever you can gather up in the next five minutes and throw it in the van. Wait for me outside once you’re done,” Gail ordered as she put a cool cloth on Hillary’s head. The near comatose woman’s teeth immediately began to chatter.

“Come on you, heard her. Let’s get moving before the cops get here.” Yvonne coaxed. At her urging the Summers girls left the room and began to gather clothing and weapons to pack into the van. Looking back down at Gail, Yvonne asked, “Are you going to be able to do it, or do you want me to take care of her?”

“No, I’ll do it. I was the first one to join her and Max, so it’s my responsibility. Go help Sandra and Alexis. I’ll be right along.”

Putting a hand on Gail’s shoulder Yvonne replied, “OK. We’ll be outside waiting for you.” With that, she headed out of the room to help with loading the van.

Alone in the room with Hillary, Gail held her hand as she whispered “I know we agreed to never let any of us be captured, and I know you’d never want to be one of the army’s lab rats, but I got to tell you babes, this is harder than I expected it to be. I love you. Save me a place in heaven next to ya in case I actually make it there.” With that said, Gail stood up, pulled out her pistol and with tremendous regret, shot her friend.

Outside in the van Yvonne, Sandra and Alexis all jumped at the sound of the gunshot.

****************
Quantico Marine Base, Virginia:

For the first time since she was arrested at City Hospital, Carla Ryson finally got to meet with her lawyer. A lawyer anyhow, even if this one had been assigned to her by the very government that was trying to pin the entire Acidalia problem on her. Since he was assigned to her, she hoped that there might be a chance that he could have her best interests at heart.

“Hello, Dr. Ryson my name is Carson Walters. I’ve been assigned to represent you during your arraignment.”

“Arraignment? I wasn’t aware I had actually been charged with anything yet.” Carla said, a bit indignantly. When she had arrived here in Virginia some weeks ago, she had been a beaten shell of herself, thanks to her time with Major Brady. The Marines, however had treated her well since then. She still knew she was a prisoner, but the base commander had done his best to make her reasonably comfortable. That generosity on his part had helped heal her a bit, thus making it possible for her to feel secure enough to show her anger.

Walters pulled a large folder fill to the breaking point with papers. “The President’s special investigator has finished his inquiry into your part in the epidemic and has come up with a long list of charges against you. Before I leave, I’ll get you a copy of the full list, but for now would you like the highlights?”

Trying to tone down her attitude a bit, Carla tried to sound almost casual as she said, “Might as well.”

Putting his glasses on the end of his long nose, the tall, thin lawyer, balding, with a bad comb over, picked up the list of charges and began reading it to Carla. “Doctor you’ve been, or more accurately, will be charged with treason, various crimes against humanity such as endangering the survival of the race. They have also have 250 counts of second degree murder, stemming from the estimated amount of victims that have died from the disease, but that number is fluid and will probably rise before the arraignment. Then there are a few assorted comparatively minor charges such as violating Food and Drug administration (FDA) guidelines for drug testing, and use on human subjects. Then of course, there is my personal favorite, distribution of a controlled substance.”

Carla sat there, stunned by not only the list, but by the caviler way in which Walters read it to her. As she struggled to wrap her mind around what she had just heard, the lawyer continued, “To me, the obviously most troubling charges are treason and murder. The rest are just there to make the list look more impressive, and some may even be thrown out before we make it to trial.”

“Mr. Walters,” Carla interrupted. “There is something I need to ask before we go any further.”

“Yes?”

“If I told you I was innocent of most, if not all these charges, would you believe me?”

“I’m sorry?” Walters replied looking somewhat perplexed.

“Do you believe that I’m innocent, is what I’m asking.”

“I don’t see where that has any bearing whatsoever on your situation.”

“Be that as it may, do you believe me?”

“Doctor to be frank, it doesn’t matter whether you’re innocent or guilty. The administration has decided to blame you for the entire situation, and you’re going to found guilty. We will go into the courtroom, and I will present you with the best defense I can muster, you have my word on that. But there is no way you’re going to be found not guilty. I’m sorry, but it’s been decided.”

“That’s what I thought,” Carla said dejectedly. “Well, thank you for your time Mr. Walters, but I don’t see what can be gained by our continuing this discussion. I assume I’ll see you at the arraignment, am I correct?”

“Doctor Ryson, I think we really need to go over …”

“Save your breath. You’re working for them in this sham of a case, so I’ll just see you in court next week, or whenever this farce takes place,” she told him as she got up and called for a guard to come in. Once the MP entered, Carla turned one last time to her lawyer, and said, “Thank you for your time and your honesty,” then had the guard escort her back to her holding area.

Once back in the small house that served as her cell, Carla walked over to her bed and threw herself on it. Laying there, she began to go over what Walters had told her, trying unsuccessfully to keep from crying. The situation was now officially hopeless, and any thought of holding it together emotionally long enough to make it to her day in court seemed absurd at this point. So she cried until the tears wouldn’t come anymore.

**************

KLTR 6:00Pm news cast:

“Good evening San Francisco. This is what’s happening at this hour: The Reynolds quarantine facility had to temporarily stop accepting new patients today, as protesters blocked the access road for more than three hours this afternoon. In what was being called a blatant disregard for the law, several hundred individuals lay down in the road and refused to move when authorities arrived and ordered them to leave.

“The situation was eventually resolved when a National Guard unit was ordered in by Governor Madison. The solders used tear gas and physical force removed those obstructing the facility. Colonel Charles Jordon said that over 200 protesters were arrested, and a few of those had to be taken to local area hospitals for treatment of their injuries and Acidalia testing.”

“In other news, San Jose was the scene of a deadly explosion at the city’s newly constructed testing center. Officials are blaming the destruction on a faulty starter switch in the facility’s thermostat system. According to sources close to the investigation, when the heater tried to come on this morning a little after 9am, an errant spark from the thermostat caused the natural gas in the line to ignite, destroying the facility and damaging several surrounding buildings in the process.

“Rescue workers are continuing at this hour to search the wreckage for survivors, but sources at the scene have said that they now believe finding any is unlikely at this point. Several bystanders outside the clinic were hurt by flying debris, with two reported as being killed. Along with those, investigators have estimated there could be as many as forty that were killed when you include employees and patients inside the clinic.”

“In international news today, Russian President Vladimir Putin blasted the Fuller administration’s decision to cut grain shipments to his country. Calling the action “nothing short of blackmail by the United States,” Putin vowed to not bend on the issue of travel embargoes no matter what pressure the Fuller administration puts on.

“This is the worst kind of international terrorism. Our people need the grain to survive. Holding back on shipments just to open travel, is a despicable act by the United States government.” The Russian President has also called on the UN to censure the United States for the move. The call has been met with only a luke warm response thus far.

“When asked for a comment on the Russian President’s remarks, White House Press Secretary Kerry Enrich said “The rest of the world is trying to bankrupt our economy and limit our citizens ability to travel where they please. The administration’s goal is simple, to reopen the international market place. The solution for the rest of the world is just as simple, remove these embargos, and the shipments will resume.”

The Fuller administration has also been putting pressure on most of the other estimated one hundred fifty countries that have banned travel, by calling for immediate repayment of all debts owed to the US. This move could be particularly devastating to the poor countries in central and south America.”

“In other news from the capital today, Senator Edward George’s special investigative committee over the President’s handling of the Acidalia outbreak announced its full list of witnesses who will be testifying. Still headlining the list, is controversial presidential critic Dr. Jennifer Fisk, despite allegations of child mistreatment.

When asked to comment on what kind of witness the embattled doctor would make, Senator George had this to say “Doctor Fisk’s current legal issues have no bearing on what this committee is investigating. We are looking into the administration’s handling of the Rhode Island outbreak, and Dr. Fisk is a firsthand witness. Furthermore, I personally believe the doctor will be found innocent of all wrongdoing once the investigation into the charges is complete.”

***************

San Quentin Prison 7: 25pm:

Andrea Morrow was terrified when she saw where the FBI agents were taking her after giving up on trying to make her to talk. They had done everything short of beating her, in an effort to get Andrea to give up the names of her coconspirators, and the former lady wrestler had resisted their every attempt. But now, after sitting alone, stripped down to her bra and panties and handcuffed to her chair in the cold poorly lit cell, she felt her courage slowly leaking away.

She gasped as the cell door slid open, flooding the room with bright light. Her eyes stung as they adjusted. Once her vision cleared, Andrea gazed upon a tall, cruel looking man in military fatigues, and another shorter man with dark hair and a goatee, standing further back by door in a prison uniform.

The military type spoke first. “Andrea, my name is Major Brady. You’ve been sent here because you refused to cooperate with the FBI and tell them where to find your friends. I’ve been sent here to make sure we get that information. See him over there?” Brady tossed his thumb in the direction of the prisoner.

Andrea nodded, as she felt her guts turn to jelly.

“OK. Good!. Ya know, I thought you were a smart girl from the moment I walked in, and I can tell you already have an idea as to what I’m going to tell you. So this is what I’m going to do … I’m going to wait outside and let you and him get to know each other a bit. Unless, of course, you want to tell me what I need to know right now.”

Andrea sat wide-eyed with fear, trying to keep from peeing herself, her mind spinning. She kept trying to tell herself that Brady wouldn’t really do what he was threatening, all the while, positive he would.

“Andrea,” Brady said, getting down and putting a finger under her chin to lift it so he could look eye to eye with her, “I really need your answer, my dear.”

His look this time left her with no doubts that he would carry though with his implied threat, “I … I’ll tell you,” she said in a quiet, defeated voice.

“Good girl,” Brady said, a wide fake smile plastered on his face. “So spill it. Addresses, names, everything. Talk fast. My friend over there hasn’t seen a woman in almost ten years now, and I really don’t know how long he’ll be able to just stand there, smelling your pussy. He might just go crazy, overpower me, and take you before anyone can do a thing about it.” Turning to the prisoner, he asked, “Isn’t that right Jimmy?”

“I can smell that thing from here, Major and, it’s driving me a bit crazy.”

“See what I mean? So before he loses his mind, tell me about your friends.”

Andrea swallowed hard, and for the next twenty minutes spilled all she knew, all the while, keeping one nervous eye on Jimmy. Her voice caught several times as she choked on her shame while spoke. When her confession was concluded Brady excused himself for a moment, and left the room, taking the prisoner with him.

************

Outside the interrogation room, Brady told the guards to keep an eye on both Andrea and Jimmy, while he made his report. Hurrying down the hallway, and out of the cell area to the administration wing, Brady stepped into the office he used while on the premises and picked up the phone.

Absently, he tapped a pencil on the desk as he impatiently waited for the connection to be made and answered. He was in a hurry to get back to Reynolds and continue Logan’s testing. He found himself enjoying putting her though ‘the paces’, as he liked to think of it, and was anxious for her viral count to drop far enough that he didn’t need to wear the virus suit. Dr. Stanley had assured him that the girl’s count was on the decline’ and would be safe to be with, sometime in the next couple of weeks.

The Major was so enraptured by the thought of what he could do to his nemesis without the suit, that he almost jumped when he heard, “Jordon here,” come through the line.

Quickly gathering his thoughts, Brady replied “Colonel, I’ve obtained the information you asked me to get.”

He could imagine the smile on Jordon’s face, “That quickly? Excellent work Major. I won’t ask you what it took to get it out of the girl. I had heard she was a tough cookie, so I imagine it took some doing on your part.”

“She actually cracked rather quickly sir, once supplied with the proper motivation, that is.” Brady said simply “I’m faxing everything she told me over to you as we speak.”

“Good, and the prisoner’s status?”

Brady thought for a second before replying, “She’s expired, sir.”

“Hmmm. Unfortunate, but I suppose it’s just as well.”

“Yes Sir. One thing of interest she did tell me, concerns our other guest, Dr. Batson.”

“Yes? What would that be? “

“She identified an Erica Brannon as the one working with them inside the hospital. The girl claimed to never have even heard of Batson.”

“Interesting.”

“Yes sir. In light of her pointing the finger at Brannon, what would you like us to do with Batson?”

Jordon thought over his options for several seconds before saying “List him as infected, and have him disappear inside Reynolds.”

“Yes sir. I’ll take care of it Sir.”

“I know you will. In the mean time I’ll get the FBI over to City, and have them gather up this Dr. Brannon. Once again, good job, Major.”

“Thank you again, Sir.” Brady replied as he hung the phone up. A few minutes later, after the Fax machine finished sending the remaining information, Brady headed back to the cell area, smiling brightly and feeling almost giddy with excitement.

**************

Several minutes ticked slowly by before Brady reappeared. “Well Andrea, the information you gave me seems to check out, so I just wanted to thank you for your cooperation,” he told her as he stepped around behind her. Undoing her handcuffs, he waited for her to stand. Once she was on her feet, Brady put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her around until she faced him. Without a seconds hesitation, he pulled a large sharp knife out and cut the tall raven haired woman’s bra between the cups, drawing just a bit of blood in the process. Next, he used it to slice open the waistband of her panties. Andrea scrambled to hold her underwear on as best as she could.

Putting the knife away, Brady slapped her hard with a backhand, rocking her, and causing her to lose grip on her panties. With them wrapped around her legs, Andrea tripped and landed butt first on the concrete floor.

Brady got down on top of her, pulling the knife back out of its sheath, and pressed it to her throat. “I could kill you right here, and no one would ever know,” he threatened. “But I prefer to stretch things out a bit. So let’s see what you can do to help with prisoner moral around here. This is what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna let my friend back in here after I leave, and if there’s anything left of you when he’s done, I’ll have a couple of his friends come play, too. Sound good?”

The look of pure terror on her face brought a sadistic smile to his. Standing up, Brady kicked Andrea square in the face, breaking her nose in the process. He grinned brightly at the sight of her bleeding. She let out a frightened squeal as he made like he was going to kick her again. “You’re pathetic,” he said as he turned and walked to the door.

Knocking for the guard out side to open it, Brady emerged into the hallway. “She’s all yours Jimmy. Enjoy it. I’ve got her listed her as dead, so do as you will,” Brady told the convicted serial rapist. Jimmy simply replied with a large gapped tooth smile as he walked into the cell.

**********
Saturday June 15 12:18am Grayson Labs Col. Jordon’s office

The ringing of the phone, which never seemed to cease, would have normally upset the hell out of Charles Jordon at this time of night, but tonight, he sat at his desk going over the report on the raid of the Marko residence, shaking his head in disbelief. The more he read, the more it scared the shit out of him.

By the third ring, he had finally worked up enough saliva to speak. “Jordon.” he answered hoarsely.

“Colonel, General Alexander is on the line,” he heard Tyler say.

“Very good. Put him through.”

“Charlie? I just got word you called earlier as I was just looking over your report on the Marko situation. I see your people tracked down the leak at City hospital.”

“The FBI has Dr. Brannon in custody right now, and we’re confident she’ll lead us to the rest of her people.”

“Good. Let me know how that goes.”

“Yes Sir. I’m sure she’ll cooperate, now that we have her in custody. From what I understand, she was in tears and ready to confess to anything we asked her to after they arrested her.”

“Good, we need to stomp on these people, hard. Make a public example out of this group, to show anyone else that might have similar ideas, what happens when you attack testing centers.”

“We’re trying, Sir.”

“I know, Charlie. By the way, nice job on keeping Dr. Wayne’s murder out of the news. You save everyone a lot of headaches there.”

“Bob, there’s something else we need to discuss.” Jordon broke in.

“Sure Charlie, what’s on your mind?”

“I’ve been looking over the medical examiners report on the body they found at the house, specifically the blood test results. According to this, it was Acidalia positive. baseline genetic tests, show it was female originally, but it had changed significantly.”

“What do you mean changed? Changed how? The reports on Dr. Wayne say that she showed no signs of physical change while she was at the hospital.”

“It says here, the victim was starting to become almost hermaphroditic, but the coroner says that her insides were so scrambled up, that she never would have survived the process. He estimated she had been dead for almost twelve hours before the body was discovered, and it still had a core temperature of over eighty five degrees, which should be impossible, since according to him, that would have made her temperature somewhere around 112-115 degrees when she died. She was literally cooking on the inside.”

“Does the M.E. have any ideas as to why the temperature was that high?”

“I talked to him about that just before I called you earlier. He believes it was a result of her viral count. It was significantly higher than anyone else he’s seen or we’ve tested, and I mean, a lot higher. She carried both versions in such concentration that anyone anywhere near her would be infected almost immediately. Christ, he needs to have half his staff tested, just from handling the body. If there are more like her out there, we could be in even deeper shit then we are already with this thing. Got to tell you Bob, this report scares the shit out of me.”

“Jesus. Do we ‘know’ if there are anymore like her?”

“I asked the M.E. to test the rest of the bodies from the explosion. He called me a while ago and said he found four more with similar viral counts. We assume they were all part of the terrorist group. Luckily, they were all killed so they won’t be going around spreading it, but there was blood all over the place after the explosion and a huge crowd of gawkers around as the cleanup was going on. If any of them got sprayed with contaminated debris, or came in contact with any of the bodies at the scene …”

“We could have a huge number of new infectees, and no way to track them.” Alexander finished the Colonels sentence.

***********

Confirmed cases: 18,000 +

Actual cases: 25,000 +

End Chapter 6